ON THE FARM
New buzzword for farming : CSA
No till . Organic farming . Permaculture
-there is a confusing number of different styles and philosophies of agriculture and the Gauteng Smallholder has described and explained many of them . A term that frequently recurs nowadays though , and one which is used by government officials quite freely , is Climate Smart Agriculture . Climate Smart Agriculture ( CSA ) focuses on three aspects of agriculture : ❑ Sustainably increasing food security by increasing agricultural productivity and incomes ; ❑ Building resilience and adapting to climate change ; ❑ Developing opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to expected trends . CSA is not a new production system . It is a means of identifying which production systems and enabling institutions are best suited to respond to the challenges of climate change for specific locations , to maintain and enhance the capacity of agriculture to support food security in a sustainable way .
According to the Food & Agriculture Organisation ( FAO ) of the United Nations , the world ' s population will increase by one-third by 2050 . It is estimated that that agricultural production will have to increase by 60 % by 2050 to satisfy the expected demands for food and feed . Climate change is already
SEEDS
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have harvested the rest of the crop long before the designated seed-bearing plants are ready and will thus have wanted to reuse the bed for another planting . Allow the plants to flower , and allow the flower to mature and dry out completely before cutting it off . Over a container such as an ice cream tub pull the flower to pieces allowing the seed to fall out into the tub . Remove any remaining flower parts , bag the seed and label . If the flower is at the right stage when you process it the seed should already be mature and dry .
impacting agriculture through changes in temperatures and rainfall patterns ( witness the current mess in the Western and Eastern Cape ). We are also experiencing more extreme climatic events such as prolonged droughts , extreme heat and flooding . Research is being undertaken
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Youwillbeamazedathow much seed comes from one fruit or flower ~ certainly more than you as a home gardener will need . In this case , why not consider swapping your excess seed for other desirable varieties through a seed swapping meeting , or via a seed swapping site on the internet ? Seed swapping is an established gardener ' s pastime overseas and it is becoming more popular locally . At least three websites cater for the needs of seed swappers , including the SA Seed Exchange , Seed Swap SA and our own www . sasfox . co . za which has a page dedicated to the needs of swappers . To swap seeds you will probably need more than one fruit or flower ' s worth . The seed should be carefully labelled , including as many varietal names as you can find . And a picture of the plant and its fruit will be helpful .
22 www . sasmallholder . co . za